Student Programs

Elective Courses for the Gerontology Certificate


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Elective Courses

In addition to the required courses and the research/practicum experience, students must complete an additional three hours of course work from the list of courses described below or from the courses outlined in the clusters of basic foundation courses above.

EADU 6070 Survey of Educational Gerontology
Social gerontology with an emphasis on adult education. Background knowledge on aging dealing specifically with program development and the involvement of older adults in educational programs is provided.

EPID 8300/GRNT 8300 Epidemiology of Aging
Addresses the rapidly increasing need for specialized knowledge among epidemiologists in order to promote the health of older adults, with a specific focus on epidemiologic methods and their application to the study of function and disease in the elderly.

EPID 8400/GRNT 8400 Chronic Disease Epidemiology
Examines chronic disease from epidemiologic perspective, with emphasis on methodological and practical issues of study designs, exposure and outcome assessment, factors determining the distribution of selected chronic diseases in the population.

EPID 8410 Cancer Epidemiology
Reviews fundamentals of cancer epidemiology, including classic descriptive cancer epidemiology, basic cancer biology, etiology of common and uncommon human cancers, major and minor risk factors for cancer, screening techniques for early detection, cancer biomarkers, and current research. Epidemiologic methodology and surveillance techniques, including cancer registries, will be covered.

FDNS 8530 Nutrition and Disease Processes I
Epidemiological, clinical, animal, and cellular studies linking diet and diseases including cancer and heart disease. Biochemical and physiological mechanisms by which nutrients prevent disease. Prerequisite: FDNS 4100/6100 or FDNS 6400 or POD. (Course suited for FDNS majors.)

FDNS 8550 Nutrition and Disease Processes II
Epidemiological, clinical, animal, and cellular studies linking diet and diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, other musculoskeletal disorders, and sensory dysfunction. Biochemical and physiological mechanisms by which nutrients prevent disease. Prerequisite: POD.

GRNT 6390 Service Learning with the Elderly
A supervised field experience designed to assist in reinforcing knowledge, theories and principles gained through courses related to gerontology; offers a practicum experience in gerontology.

GRNT 7266 Death, Dying, and Bereavement
Multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches are used to explore death, dying, and bereavement from a variety of biopsychosocial perspectives.

GRNT 7600/KINS 7600
Public Health Physical Activity Interventions Public health and aging in two basic areas of (1) an ecological approach to increasing physical activity; (2) behaviorally based strategies to increase physical activity and improve nutritional status.

GRNT 8000 Advanced Topics in Gerontological Research and Theory
Interdisciplinary topics and new developments in gerontological research and theory, focused on a specific time. Prerequisite: POD.

GRNT 8010 Advanced Topics in Gerontology Practice
Interdisciplinary topics on new developments in the practice of gerontology. Prerequisite: POD.

HACE 6810 Housing for Older Adults
Housing needs and conditions, housing alternatives, legislation and current programs related to housing elderly persons. Survey of current housing is compared to proposals for effectively meeting more of the housing needs of the elderly person.

HPRB 7170 Aging and Health
Health promotion, risk reduction, health maintenance, and health problems of older adults, from an individual, community, cultural, and policy perspective.

HACE 7310 Managing Nonprofit and Special Community Housing
Examination of residential property management in a variety of nonprofit, government, and government-assisted contexts. Special focus is given to management in various special housing communities including senior housing, supportive housing for the elderly and people with mental or physical disabilities, affordable housing, military housing, and student housing.

JURI 7720 Elder Law
Addresses the legal aspects associated with aging. Federal and state elderly programs and problems. PSYC 8890 Current Research in Health Psychology Current topics in developmental psychology. Emphasis on independent study and research. Prerequisite: POD.

RLST 7380 Leisure and Aging/Adaptation
Leisure behavior in later life with attention to programs and services for older adults in both community and institutional settings.

SOWK 6142 Social Work with Older Adults
Exploration of human behavior, practice research, and policies regarding interventions with diverse and vulnerable adults.